Apparatus for drying grain.



Patented Bac. 5, |899. W. TWEEDALE W. L.- HARVEY.

APPARATUS FR DVHHi GEMM,

` (Application :ma .my 12, 1899.)

(No Model.)

i. y. 7 ,y` nf,"r 'Yr limitan .eterne idafirnnr vVlLlM TWEEDALE ANDWlLLlAM L. HARVEY, Olt CHCAGO, ILLlNOlS.

.ernannten een envian. canin.

SPECKFIOATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,429, dated December5, 1899.

Application iiled July l2, 1899: Serial No. 723,548. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLiAM 'lwnnDaLn and WILLMM L. Hnnvnv, residentsof Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lilinois, have inventedcertain. new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Grain, ofwhich we declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription.

rhe present invention has for its object to provide a simple, cheap, andeffective apparatus whereby grain may be quickly and uniiormly dried;and the invention consists in the features of construction hereinafterdescribed,illustratcd in the accompanying drawings,andparticularlypointed outin the claims at the end oi' this spcciiication.

Figure '1 is a view in central vertical section through an apparatusembodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail View of one of theair-port guards.

Upon a suitable foundation A are mounted three walls or cylinders l, C,and l), preferably of sheet metal, concentrically arranged, theseseveral cylinders B, (l, and l) being preferably formed ci horizontalsections suitably united together. The outer wall or cylinder l5 and thein terinediate wall C are united together by the top plate or cover E,from the center of which a grain-delivery spout e rises. rlhc top of thecylinde. D is closed by a cover D', preferably of conical shape, inorder to better distribute the grain as it enters the drier. Into thebottom ol. thc cylinder l) leads a hot-air-dclivcry pipe F, throughwhich pipe het air will be forced by a suit-able blowerG. At convenientpoints from top to bottom of the cylinderl) are termed air-dischargeports d, through which the hot air will be 4,forced into the body ofgrain to be dried, this body ci' grain iilling the annular'chamberbetween the cylinders C and D. In like manner also a series ofair-ports c will be formed in the wallcr cylinder C,and the air passingthrough these ports c will escape through the short pipes 71, into thebustle-pipe Il, whence it will be removed by the dischargepipe 71,. Thebustlepipe il, which is preferably of annular shape, will surround thetop of the wall or cylinder Rand the short pipes h will connect thisbustle-pipe with the cylinder B at convenient intervals around the topof such cylinder. As

the grain to be dried will occupy the space lie-- tween the walls orcylindc4 s C and l), we provide the ports c and d with suitable guardsl( to prevent the passage of grain through these ports. '.lhe preferredconstruction of guard is that illustrated in detail in Fig. 2 ot' thedrawings, and consists of a quadrant-shaped cup having an open top andhaving a hole k adapted to coincide with the corresponding ports c or d,over which the guard will be liastened. [it the base of the wall orcylinder D is formed a series of openings through which the grain willpass downward to the base of the drier from the ann.ilar space betweenthe cylinders C and i).

In order to regulate the passage oi the grain, and conscrpicntiy theextent of time during which it shall remain within the d rior, weprovide the base of the drier with a suitable valve mechanism, oneconvenient form of valve mechanism being that illustrated in thedrawings. As shown, this valve mechanism consists of two corresl'iondinggrids 'nl and m, tho grid fm. being fixed, lwhile thc grid fla ismovable, so that the open space of one grid may be caused to coincidemore or less with. the open space of the other grid, the extent of suchcoincidence detcrniining the rapidity el the discharge of the grain. Tothe grid 'la is connected a shifter-rod fn., that will b e operated byaliand-lever/1t, pivotcd at one side of the apparatus. The valvemechanism shown is of familiar construction, and it is obvious that anysuitable form .of valve mechanism maybe employed in place thereof. Thegrain after being dried will descend into the space l? at the base oithe apparatus, from whence it woll be removed by any convenient means.

From the foregoing description it will bc seen that when a bodyeii'grain is to be dried it-will be delivered through the spout e in to theannular space between theI walls or cylinders C and l). A blast of hetair will then bc admitted 'through the air-delivery pipe F, and this airwill be forced through the ports d, through the body of grain, throughthe port-s c, and will iinally escape by the bustlc-pipe Il anddischarge-pipe il. The arrangement of ports c and d is such as to insurea uniform. drying of the grain, the body of grain being subjected notonly to the hot air passing" through it, but as Well also to the heatoi' the Walls of the cylinders C and D. '.ihe ar- IDO rangement of thebnstle-pipe 1I and the airpipes h around the top of the cylinder I3 alsoaids in securing the uniform withdrawal of the air, amd consequently amore uniform passage of the heated air through the grain.

We are well aware that various forms of apparatus have been heretoforedevised for drying grain; but we believe that no prior grain by reasonof the odors, dirt, the., as to ruin it even if it did not set lirethereto. Moreover, in such prio: construction no pro-v vision Was madefor preventing the passage of grain through the perloi'ations of thevertical cylinders. ConsequentlyY if the perforr, tions of the cylinderswere large enough to allow the passage of air therethrough withoutclogging up, such perforations would also permit the low'of grainthrough the cylinders, and thus defeat the operation of the apparatus.Our present invention overcomes all of the above objections. ln ourapparatus heated air free from products of combus- I tion is deliveredto the drier, and inasmuch as the perforations olfnhe cylinders areprovided with upwardly-extending guards these perforations can be madeofsullicient size to permit the passage ot air through the cylinders andthrough the grain without danger of the escape of grain throughI thewalls of the cylinders.

While the al'Jovedesc1ibed apparatus is more particularly designed forthe drying of grain, it is obvious that it can also be used for thepurpose of cooling grain either after it has been dried or where noAprelimineny drying has been had. So, also, instead of elnploying ablower G for effecting a forced draft of air the suction fan or blowermight be at,- tached to the outlet-pipe to accomplish the same purpose.

Having thus described our invention, wha

We claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is'- l.. Adrying apparatus comprisinga vertical outer Wall or cylinder B, avertical inner wall oi cylinder D having a closed top, and anintermediate vertical wall or cylinder C, all of said walls being formedof thin metal, said inner and intermediate walls or cylinders beingprovided with air-ports, upwardlyextend= ing guards. secured to theinner wall of the inner cylinder and the outer Wall of the intermediatecylinder opposite said-airports to prevent the'passage of grainthrough'said ports, an air-delivery pipe leading to the bottom of saidcylinder D, and an air-discharge passage for the escape of air from thetop of the chamber formed by the cylinders B and C.v A

2. A drying apparatus comprising a vertical outer wall or cylinder B, avertical innervall or cylinder D having a closed top, and anintermediate lvertical Wall or cylinder C, .all vof said walls beingformed of thin metal', said inner and intermediate walls being providedwith air-ports, upwardly-extending guards secured to the inner wall ofthe inner cylinder and the outer Wall of the intermediate cylinderopposite said airports to prevent the passage of grain through saidports, an airdelivery pipe for conducting air free from products ofcombustion to the bottom of said cylinder D, and a series ofair-discharge ports for the escape of air from the top of the chamberformed by the cylinders B and C.

. WILLIAM TWEEDALE.

XVILLIAM L. HARVEY. Witnesses:`

GEORGE P. FISHER, Jr., ALBERTA ADAMICK.

